Assignment patch
]] patches on display in the 602 Club]] Robert Wesley wears the "Starfleet Command" assignment patch]] An assignment patch was a patch or badge seen on uniforms, most notably on Earth, where their use began in the 20th century. The United Earth Starfleet and MACO personnel continued to use assignment patches to denote the ship, station, or other post to which an individual was assigned, as did the later Federation Starfleet. History In 20th and 21st century Earth, assignment patches were used on military uniforms and civilian uniforms alike. NASA patches from that era appeared in the Crash-n-Burn Bar in Bozeman, Montana, and at the 602 Club in San Francisco. ; ) In the early 22nd century, Starfleet personnel wore assignment patches on the sleeve of their left arm, in a similar style worn during the initial period of space flight on Earth. The uniform was later updated, adding the Starfleet patch to the right arm. (ENT; ) In the mid-23rd century, Starfleet continued the tradition of using unique patch emblems for different assignments, albeit placing them instead over the left breast. By 2278, this styling ceased, and Starfleet adopted the 's assignment patch as the standard emblem for all Starfleet personnel. Assignment patches thus fell into disuse, and Starfleet supplanted them with badges and eventually combadges. (TOS; ) For example, a style of Starfleet pins incorporating the Enterprise emblem was made into a combadge, used by the crew of the , by 2344. ( ; ) , set in 2272. The Starfleet pins adopting the Enterprise emblem were first seen in . Newer combadges were first seen in .|There are some stray elements which detract from the "one ship, one emblem" theory often applied to spacecrafts of the 23rd century; some members of Kirk's Academy class who cajoled Kirk in a lounge in also wore the Enterprise patch. It would seem unlikely that Kirk's direct subordinates would take part in such a thing, classmate or no, so it at least suggests they were assigned elsewhere, yet had the same patch.}} In the mirror universe, the Terran Empire used the traditional styling from the 22nd century. While the Empire's uniforms had several variations that distinguished them from those of the prime universe, they still wore mission patches on their shoulders. By the 23rd century, the mission patch had been replaced with the Imperial insignia. ( ; ) In the alternate reality created by Nero's destruction of the , assignment patches were done away with much sooner than in the prime timeline, with the Kelvin s patch becoming Starfleet's standard by the 2250s. ( ) 20th and 21st century patches File:US 29th Inf.png|US 29th Infantry Division (1944) File:US Air Corps.png|United States Army Air Corps (1947) File:ISA patch.png|International Space Agency (2032) File:Ares IV patch.png|''Ares IV'' (2032) File:Charybdis Mission Patch, remastered.jpg|''Charybdis'' (2037) File:Logo Kris phoenix.gif|''Phoenix'' (2063) . The original design was a repurposed Apollo XVII mission patch, featuring the names of that vessel's astronaut crew.}} 22nd century patches File:Starfleet logo, 22nd century.png|Starfleet Command, Earth (2150s) File:Enterprise NX-01 Logo.png| (2151) File:ECS Horizon assignment patch.gif| (2151) File:Intrepid assignment patch.png|''Intrepid'' (2153) File:MACO Enterprise logo.svg|MACO detachment, (2153) File:Columbia mission patch.png| (2154) File:Cold Station 12 Logo.png|Cold Station 12 (2154) File:ISS Enterprise (NX-01) assignment patch.png| (MU 2155) File:MACO mirror.png|MACO detachment, (MU 2155) File:ISS Avenger assignment patch.gif| (MU 2155) 23rd century patches File:USS Kelvin assignment patch.png| (2233) File:USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) assignment patch.png| , (command division, 2260s) File:Antares assignment patch.png|''Antares'' (command division, 2266) File:Outpost insignia.png|Earth Outpost Station 4 (2266) Earth Observation Outpost on Cestus III (2267) File:USS Constellation (NCC-1017) assignment patch.png| (command division, 2267) File:USS Exeter (NCC-1672) assignment patch.png| (command division, 2268) File:USS Defiant (NCC-1764) assignment patch.png| (command division, 2268) File:Epsilon IX station assignment patch.png|Epsilon IX Station (sciences division, 2272) 24th century patches File:Red Squad logo.png|Starfleet Academy and (2372) Appendices Background information The assignment patch for the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and the movie-era Starfleet assignment badge are very similar to those used by the US Space Command in the 20th century and early 21st century. The assignment patch for was created by Wendy Drapanas, whereas the patch for the was designed by Anthony Fredrickson. "When Wendy and I had our assignments on the pilot Broken Bow}}," recalled Fredrickson, "one of hers was to design the NX-01 patch–which was a cherry assignment that I was very jealous she got! So when Mike [Okuda] gave me the ''Horizon patch, even though it was only for one show, I was very happy." ([[Star Trek: Communicator issue 144|''Star Trek: Communicator issue 144]], p. 36) External link * fr:Insigne de mission ja:アサイメント・パッチ Category:Clothing accessories